New Jersey Gives Voters Email, Fax Options

By

Lisa Fleisher

Nov. 3, 2012 8:04 p.m. ET

Voters in New Jersey now have two more ways to send in their ballots in an already unusual election season complicated by superstorm Sandy: via fax and email.

The Christie administration said Saturday that the additional options are aimed at giving displaced residents and emergency workers another way to vote and that the ballots would be cast provisionally. Administration officials urged people who could to vote early or through the normal process.

The administration said people could cast those ballots in two steps. First, they should email or fax an application for a mail-in ballot through their county clerk's office.

Once that application is approved, voters can email or fax the ballot by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

"This has been an extraordinary storm that has created unthinkable destruction across our state, and we know many people have questions about how and where to cast their vote in Tuesday's election," said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who doubles as the secretary of state and oversees elections. "To help alleviate pressure on polling places, we encourage voters to either use electronic voting or the extended hours at county offices to cast their vote."

People will also be able to vote somewhere other than the county in which they are registered, the administration said.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5.

Many places in New Jersey were slowly seeing the lights flick back on Saturday. But any polling places without power by Tuesday will also have trucks with backup options for voting by paper ballot. Gov. Chris Christie said voters could go back to the "old-fashioned way," even if it might take a bit more time to count the votes.

County election offices have been ordered to open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. this weekend, and Mr. Christie encouraged people to vote early. People can also vote in person at their county clerks' offices until 3 p.m. Tuesday.

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